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Post by eburggraaf on Mar 26, 2017 9:36:19 GMT -5
Hello, Thanks for starting this group. I have been taking more and more interest in craft brewing over the past three years. Now I want to get into the brewing and brewery management training at niagara college, but it is intensely competative and I am going to have a lot of work on my hands just getting accepted. As Home brewers go, I am green as under ripe bananas. , But I have all too much time on my hands and the passion for learning, so I am up for volunteering my time for any jobs that need doing. If I could get invited to hang around at some local breweries, that would be fantastic!
I am looking at some starter equipment, and have nearly settled on a coopers 6 gallon DIY kit. I don't plan to spend the rest of my days making beer from cans of mix, but if something is going to expload, I'd rather it be some generic stuff, not some recipe I've been looking forward to for months with expensive hand picked ingredients. I'm also looking at a tilt hydrometer. I'll have to buy that before anything else, and it has to come in from the states. It'll be months before I'm ready to think about bringing samples to meetings.
If you have volunteer opportunities or any ways for me to get involved, shoot me a private message on the site and I'll come through with my cell number. Feel free to look me up on untappd at Eburggraaf. Otherwise, I look forward to meeting you in April.
Have a relaxing weekend,
Erik
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Post by imaretiree on Mar 26, 2017 11:34:41 GMT -5
Erik,
Welcome.
Honestly, after one meeting with the group, you will not worry about exploding beers. As long as you have healthy yeast that attenuate the wort, and you measure the right amount of sugar for priming (if you are bottle conditioning), you will have nothing to worry about.
The issue with kits is you can't trust the yeast. It might be OK or it might be too old.
I'm doing extract with steeping of specialty grains (I just brewed a rye saison yesterday). Some of the members are all-grain. We have award winning brewers in the club so you will learn a lot. If you have a question about something, post it on this forum. People of all levels of expertise still have questions and many have answers.
Looking forward to meeting you in April (if I can make the meeting...my daughter is due to give birth around that time).
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Post by Christy on Mar 26, 2017 14:03:13 GMT -5
Hi Erik, that's exactly how I got started three years ago and to this day my Cooper's fermenter is still my favourite primary! I think doing even a couple of batches with kits/extract is a great way to dip one's toes in and get a feel for the basics. After that, sky's the limit. I do mostly partial mashes (space/equipment limitations) - we have everyone from extract brewers to all grain brewers with RIMS/HERMS systems. It's a great group and as Tony said, a large range of expertise and experience. See you at the meeting!
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Post by Alex Bullock on Mar 26, 2017 16:29:38 GMT -5
^^ what Christy said. With that equipment you can brew any extract based beer and don't necessarily have to use the prehopped Mr Beer or Cooper's kits. The tilt hydrometer looks cool but you won't need it to make great beer! A regular old hydrometer will do the job for significantly less money.. then you can use that money to buy more ingredients I'll be posting information about our next meeting soon so keep your eye out. And welcome to the hobby!
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Post by eburggraaf on Mar 27, 2017 12:13:55 GMT -5
Congratulations! I'm going to be an uncle in August, so I have some idea how you feel. Good luck, Erik, Welcome. Honestly, after one meeting with the group, you will not worry about exploding beers. As long as you have healthy yeast that attenuate the wort, and you measure the right amount of sugar for priming (if you are bottle conditioning), you will have nothing to worry about. The issue with kits is you can't trust the yeast. It might be OK or it might be too old. I'm doing extract with steeping of specialty grains (I just brewed a rye saison yesterday). Some of the members are all-grain. We have award winning brewers in the club so you will learn a lot. If you have a question about something, post it on this forum. People of all levels of expertise still have questions and many have answers. Looking forward to meeting you in April (if I can make the meeting...my daughter is due to give birth around that time).
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Post by eburggraaf on Mar 27, 2017 12:24:18 GMT -5
Thanks, This is what I needed to hear. I have a lot of time and not a lot of money. So, I'm into taking it slow, learning one piece at a time, and adding as I go. I definitely plan to go beyond kit beer, but I think it's important to start small and have a good prospect of early success. Plus, that kit has pretty decent reviews and I figure I can use the equipment for my own starters when the time comes. My only complaint is the plastic 750 ml bottles, being both plastic, and enormous. Oh well... I'm sure I can dredge up 60 340 ML snap cap bottles from... well... somewhere or other. Hi Erik, that's exactly how I got started three years ago and to this day my Cooper's fermenter is still my favourite primary! I think doing even a couple of batches with kits/extract is a great way to dip one's toes in and get a feel for the basics. After that, sky's the limit. I do mostly partial mashes (space/equipment limitations) - we have everyone from extract brewers to all grain brewers with RIMS/HERMS systems. It's a great group and as Tony said, a large range of expertise and experience. See you at the meeting!
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